The Ghost & Mr Stone
by Brown Eyes Parker
Summary: Trying to escape heartache in Oklahoma, Jake Stone escapes to a small, nondescript town. Once there, he meets the beautiful and dizzy Cassandra Cillian. There's only one problem, she's a little dead. AU. Inspired by the Ghost & Mrs. Muir and Just Like Heaven. Rated T. Eventual Jassandra. With some Eve/Flynn. And Ezekiel Jones.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ghost & Mr. Stone**

**A Jake/Cassandra Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Author's Note:**

**This is loosely based on the Rex Harrison movie **_**The Ghost & Mrs. Muir**_**, an utterly fantastic and underrated movie that I only discovered on TCM's "Prelude to Halloween" last October. There are also elements of the Reese Witherspoon movie **_**Just Like Heaven**_** in it, but this story isn't an exact replica of either film. You don't even have to watch either of them to get what's going on, though if asked, I would recommend both movies. On another note, this may be slightly OOC and it is definitely AU.**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**. **

_Prologue. . ._

"Promise me that you won't stay here forever," she whispered. "Go and see the places we always talked about seeing. Okay?"

"Okay," he answered hoarsely, his throat thick with unshed tears.

"You need to _promise _me that you'll go," she said. "Promise me that you'll see Paris one day and that you won't hide yourself from people anymore. Let them see the real you, because the real you is so beautiful. Promise me that you'll fall in love again eventually and that you'll move on."

He hesitated, right now in the face of death and heartache, moving on didn't seem as easy as she was making it sound. He didn't know if he could make a dying girl a promise he wasn't going to be able to keep. But she was looking at him so intensely and with so much hope that he had to grant her her one last dying wish.

"Okay," he said. "I promise."

She smiled at him, relieved. "Thank you."

A nurse came into the room and looked at them sympathetically. "Visiting hours are up," she said.

He released a deep breath and picked up the book he had been trying to read to her before. "I'll see you tomorrow darlin'," he told her even though he was pretty sure that tomorrow wouldn't come for them.

She smiled at him. "Goodnight," she answered.

_**A few days later. . .**_

"You can move in with us for the time bein'," his sister told him as she drove him home after the funeral. "Just until things settle down and you get your bearings again."

He shook his head. "No."

She frowned. "No? What do you mean _no_? You just lost your fiancée, I think it would be best if you stayed with me and let us look out for you. . ."

"I can't stay here," he answered. "I'll just see her everywhere I go, I need to get away and decompress somewhere where I am not going to be reminded of her or what I lost."

"But you need your family!" She protested. "You just lost somebody important to you. . . I don't want you to be by yourself."

"I'll check in every day," he promised. "But I need to do this. . ."

"Isn't it a little too soon for the moving on process? You just buried Mabel. . ." she tried again, trying desperately to hold onto him, afraid that he was going to do something irrational and irresponsible without her to look after him.

He shook his head again. "You can't fight me on this, my mind is made up and I'm not budgin'. I promise I won't do anything stupid."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she grumbled. "You'll get drunk and you'll get into bar brawls because it's what you do when you're hurtin' Jake. I can't let you go unless I know you're going to be okay. You're my little brother and I. . . I don't want to see you run away. Please Jake, _please _just stay!"

"I can't," he answered. "Whether you let me go or not, I'm goin' to be gone by the end of the week."

"Well, are you goin' to come back one day?" She asked, frustrated and close to tears.

"I don't know," he answered.

**.**

**Chapter 1**

"It's a nice place," Jake Stone said, looking around the artsy little apartment. It was exactly what he was looking for, a huge difference from his life and home back in Oklahoma. "What's wrong with it that you're tryin' to rent it so quickly?"

"_Nothing," _the real-estate agent, Brenda Blaine answered, rolling her eyes. "The family is requesting I rent it quickly because it's just sitting here and they want somebody to look out for it while they wait."

"Wait for _what_?" Jake asked.

"I don't know all the details but apparently the girl who owns the place was in some sort of accident three weeks ago and she still hasn't recovered yet."

"Recovered?" Jake asked, frowning slightly. "From what?"

"From the _coma_," Brenda replied, rolling her eyes. "So, do you want it or not? I do have other appointments today, so if you aren't going to take this apartment then you're going to have reschedule and the earliest I can squeeze you in is a week from today."

"I'll take it," Jake answered because he couldn't fathom spending another day with this woman, who seemed more intent on gossiping than doing her job.

"Great! Why don't you go to my office and I'll call and have my co-worker take care of the paperwork for you? As soon as that's taken care of, you're free to move in whenever you're ready."

"_Good." _

"Come with me, Mr. Stone!" Brenda sang.

**.**

"You promised me that you'd deal with it though, Brenda!" Eve Baird protested as the other real estate agent was about to leave her with Jake. "You know I don't want to deal with renting out my best friend's apartment to people."

"Oh boo-hoo now put on your big girl panties and deal with it like the ex-colonel that I know you are!" Brenda replied. "Now I have to go because I don't want to be late, I'll catch you later Eve!"

Eve growled in irritation before turning back to Jake. "I'm sorry about that. Things have been very stressful around here lately. And Brenda promised I wouldn't have to deal with renting out Cassandra's apartment. Even though she would probably rather I do it over Brenda. Anyways, you don't care about that and honestly, I don't want to talk about. I'll go and draw up the appropriate paperwork, excuse me."

She disappeared into the outer area of the real estate agency.

"Did you know Cassandra Cillian's apartment is haunted?"

Jake looked towards the office door and saw a young Asian man standing in the threshold. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"The apartment you're going to rent is _haunted_," he repeated, grinning. "At least that's what the last two people who rented the apartment told me."

"_Ezekiel Jones!" _

"It's _true _Baird!" He called back. "Everybody's saying that Cassandra is. . ."

Eve came back and stared him down, her arms folded across her chest. "The last two people who rented her apartment were a couple of _drunken_ frat boys! That isn't exactly _everybody_! Now stop telling Mr. Stone stories and go clean the coffee pot or something now Jones! _Please_!"

"Fine," Ezekiel grumbled. "But don't say I didn't warn you when he comes back tomorrow and wants to look for somewhere else to live."

"_Jones!" _Eve snapped, all but dragging him away by his collar.

She reappeared a few minutes later, paperwork in hand. "Sorry about that. Jones likes to repeat gossip. There aren't any ghosts. Not in Cassandra's apartment, not anywhere around here."

Jake sighed. "I don't mind ghosts so much, I'm already keepin' company with some of them as it is," he answered.

Eve frowned but she didn't press him for details, probably because they didn't know each other that well.

"Here," she said, sitting down across from him and sliding the papers in his direction. "Sign."

He did without saying another word, then she handed him the keys.

"Thanks," he said.

"Yeah," Eve answered. "Listen, if you need anything you can stop by anytime and let me know. I don't mind helping you out a little bit."

Jake forced himself to smile and nod. "Thanks. I guess I'll see you around. 'Bye."

Eve waved as he left. "Goodbye Mr. Stone."

"He'll be back in a couple of days when her ghost starts haunting him," Ezekiel said coming back into Eve's office and smiling at her cockily.

Eve got up, clearly annoyed with him as she shoved the paperwork into his hands. "Just go and file his paperwork, Jones," she said.

**.**

Jake looked through her stacks of CDs looking for something to listen to and fill the quiet spots of her apartment, she had a variety of different music but nothing in the country genre except for Taylor Swift and in his opinion, she didn't count as country music _at all_.

He switched on the radio instead, flipping through stations but the little town he had escaped to didn't even have a decent country station. He sighed, giving up on finding anything to listen to and decided to settle into bed for the night with one of his books about art history instead.

He hadn't been reading for long when he heard noises coming from the living room.

Jake swore under his breath as he tossed the book aside and pushed the covers off, going to see what was going on and to make sure nobody was intruding on his privacy.

A redheaded girl dressed in a black dress with a Peter Pan collar, green tights and sparkly flats was dropping a vinyl on the record player. The unmistakable sounds of _Bolero_ filled the apartment.

She turned around and looked at him, a frown creasing her forehead as she appraised him. After what seemed like forever, she spoke.

"Who are you and what are you doing in _my_ apartment?"

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**I'll try and update regularly on Mondays, but I don't know if that'll be set in stone. But there will be regular updates on one of the days of the week. I hope you'll review and tell me what you thought so far. **

**Until Next Time!**

**Holly, 1/19/2015_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shout-outs: obh614, KitKat1995, and VampirePrincess86**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Rated: T**

**.**

**Chapter 2**

"_Your apartment?" _Jake repeated, frowning.

"Yes, this is _my _apartment!" She answered. "And you're trespassing!"

"_I'm _trespassin'? Listen darlin', I'm rentin' this apartment legally, I just signed the papers this afternoon for a month-to-month lease," he retorted.

She was looking him sympathetically, like maybe she thought he was a crazy person or something else. "Okay, listen, you are clearly drunk. So, I'll get my keys and put you up in a hotel for the night."

"Clearly, _you're _the one who's drunk," Jake answered. "Do you make it a habit of breaking into apartments that don't belong to you?"

If she was getting impatient with him, she didn't let on. "Wait a second, I can _prove _this is my apartment. Just wait there and don't move!" She ordered as she brushed past him and went into the bedroom.

A few seconds later, she returned with a picture frame in hand and held it out for him to take.

Jake frowned and took it without looking at it. "What's this?"

"This is _proof _that this is my home," she answered, nodding assuredly. "Go on, look at it."

He sighed and glanced at it, doing a double-take when he saw the redhead that was standing in front of him in the picture, sitting next to Eve Baird and drinking a brightly colored drink that most likely had booze in it.

Jake released a deep breath, trying to wrap his mind around what this meant. Because the girl standing in front of him was supposed to be in a coma, not walking around her apartment like she was healthy.

The warning Ezekiel Jones had given him while he had been at the realtor's office earlier that day came back to him.

_Cassandra Cillian's apartment is haunted. . ._

She wasn't dead though, he told himself, people just couldn't haunt houses unless they were truly dead and buried.

He looked at her again and found that she was staring at him, clearly waiting for a reaction to their situation.

"Um, are you Cassandra?" He asked.

"Yes. . ." she trailed off, looking worried that he knew who she was without her telling him. "How did _you _know that? Have you been stalking me? Did you break into my apartment to hurt me?"

"I did _not _break in!" Jake answered. "I have a key. I'm rentin' this place! Before today I didn't even know you existed!"

"Oh? Well, how do you know my name then?" Cassandra challenged, the worry lines were still etched deeply in her forehead as she started to tap one foot with, what Jake assumed was, anxiety.

"I, um, _guessed_," Jake lied, wondering vaguely if he had gone a little insane between lunch and bedtime. Seeing somebody who was in a coma _had _to make him certifiably crazy. Unless Cassandra really had died over the course of the day.

"Oh. . . well, it still doesn't explain _why _you're here in my apartment," Cassandra said, breaking into his train of thought.

"I already told you!" Jake answered. "I'm rentin'. . . oh never mind! Why don't you call your friend Eve and have her straighten ya out? She'll confirm my story!"

Cassandra hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "I couldn't call her now! It's_ way _past nine-thirty! They're probably in bed. Besides, Eve would _never _rent out my apartment to a man! Especially while I was still living here. . ."

"Do you not remember anything from the past few weeks?" Jake asked bluntly.

Cassandra frowned. "Now that you mention it, things have been sort of a blur lately. Like all the days have been blending together. Come to think of it, I can't remember what's been going on up until today. Do you think somebody drugged me?"

"How would I know?" Jake answered.

"Right. I don't think we've ever met before tonight," Cassandra said, she looked at him closely. "We haven't, have we?"

"Noooo, I just got into town two days ago," Jake replied. "And I would certainly remember meetin' somebody like _you_."

Cassandra looked slightly offended. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that. . ." Jake trailed off, realizing how ridiculous he would look if somebody walked in and saw him talking to somebody who probably wasn't there.

He tried to rationalize what was going on, he was exhausted. . . grieving. He probably needed somebody to talk to. He had probably seen a picture of Cassandra. That combined with Ezekiel's comments about the apartment being haunted was the reason she was standing in front of him.

"Just that _what_?" Cassandra asked, interjecting into his thoughts for a second time in a span of a few minutes.

Jake released a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Nothing," he answered.

When he opened his eyes again, she was still standing in front of him, looking way more than a little lost.

"I'm going to bed," he told her. "Tomorrow, we'll figure out what's going on here. Okay?"

He fully expected to wake up the next morning and for her to be gone, leaving him alone just like he wanted to be.

"Fine," Cassandra said. "You can stay just for _one night_, but you have to leave first thing in the morning."

Jake chuckled. "Whatever you say darlin'."

He turned to go back to the bedroom, but her voice stopped him again.

"Do you mind sleeping in the guest room?"

He groaned he had seen the guest room when he had been exploring the house earlier. It was cozy enough, but he was definitely too tall to fit into the guest bed she had set up in there. And there was no way that he wanted to cater to the whims of quasi-ghosts. So, he didn't know why he found himself agreeing to her request.

He woke up early the next morning because _You Belong with Me _was blasting from the living room. Jake turned on his back and pulled the pillow over his face, trying to block out the noise so he could catch a few more hours sleep.

And then it dawned on him, there was music playing and he hadn't turned it on. He tore out of the guest room; Cassandra was standing near the CD player, holding the _Fearless _case in her hand. He closed his eyes and pinched himself as hard as he could, thinking that he was still stuck in a dream but when he opened his eyes again, she was still there, singing along with Taylor Swift.

She whirled around and looked at him, her face lighting up into a smile. "Oh! Good morning!"

"Good mornin'. . ." he answered, shaking his head. "What are you still doin' here?"

Cassandra laughed. "I told you silly, I _live _here. What else would I be doing here?"

"I thought. . ." Jake trailed off and turned around. "I'm goin' out, there's some things that need explainin'."

"Where are you going?" Cassandra asked, turning off the music and following him to the master bedroom.

"To talk to your friend Eve," Jake answered as he went through his suitcase and got out a new set of clothes to wear.

"Oooh, I'll go with you!" Cassandra squealed. "I feel like I haven't seen Eve in _days_."

"Yeah," Jake said, looking at her. "Yeah! That's a good idea, why don't you come with me? Then we can see exactly what's going on together. Now I'm going to get changed, why don't you wait out in the living room for me?"

**.**

Eve was at the office by herself when they got there. She was talking on the phone and jotting notes on a pad of paper, but she smiled welcoming at Jake when he came in.

"I'll be with you in a minute," she mouthed.

Jake nodded and took a seat, picking up a real estate listing catalogue and flipping through it while he waited.

"She didn't see me," Cassandra said, looking surprised as she took the chair next to his. "Can you believe that she couldn't see me!? We're best friends!"

Jake grunted in way of answer and turned the page, pretending to be absorbed in looking at the houses because Eve clearly couldn't see that Cassandra had come in with him. He didn't want to give the blonde any reason to think she had rented out her friend's apartment to a crazy person.

Eve hung up and got up to greet him. "Sorry about that Mr. Stone, Jones hasn't come in this morning yet. So, Brenda put me in charge of the phones until he got in. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Um, yes, actually. I was wonderin' if you could answer some questions for me," Jake answered.

"I can try," Eve answered. "What do you want to know?"

Jake tried to laugh. "Well, I almost feel awkward asking you this. But it's been buggin' me since last night. . ."

Eve pursed her lips together. "You must want to know what happened to Cassandra."

"Well, livin' in her home, bein' around her stuff has gotten me a little curious," Jake answered, trying not to glance at Cassandra.

Eve sighed. "I understand, unfortunately I'm busy until this weekend. Do you think your curiosity can hold off until then?"

"I guess," Jake answered, sighing too, glancing at Cassandra and guessing he was going to be stuck with her for the foreseeable future.

"Okay then, stop in again later and we'll talk about having dinner," Eve said, putting her jacket on and shoving paperwork into a black satchel. "Good gods, where on _earth _is Jones!? "

"She can't see me?" Cassandra asked as Eve left, swearing and getting her cell phone out to call her missing assistant.

"No," Jake answered.

She frowned. "What's going on here anyways?"

"I wish _I _knew," Jake replied, holding the door open for her as they both exited the real estate agency. "It looks like I'm stuck with ya for the time being though, because it doesn't look like you're goin' anywhere right now. People are goin' to think I'm crazy."

Cassandra's frown deepened. "Why?"

"Because Cassie, as you've already noticed nobody else aside from me can see you! I dunno, maybe I am goin' a little crazy. That sort of stuff can happen after. . ." he trailed off and shook his head. "Except you aren't the person I'd exactly want to see if I were going crazy."

"What are you talking about?" Cassandra asked. "What happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter," Jake answered. "Come on, let's get out of here."

She hurried after him and tried to reach for him, not noticing how her hand didn't quite touch his shoulder. "Hold on for a second! If we're going to be spending a lot of time together then don't you think you should at least tell me your name? I mean. . . if I have to call you or something?"

"Oh my name. Um, my name is Jake," he answered. "My name is Jake Stone."

"It's nice to meet you Jake," Cassandra said, smiling at him and looking almost too adorable for words.

"Yeah, you too. . ." Jake said as he started to walk again, he turned around when he noticed she wasn't following him. "Well, are you comin' or not? I don't just wanna leave you here by yourself. I kind of feel responsible for you."

"I'm coming!" Cassandra answered, hurrying to catch up with him again. She fell into step with him and they walked back to her apartment together in silence.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**This is pretty good for me, two chapters in one day for a story that's a WIP! Honestly, I was kind of encouraged by the positive response to this story. I have decided that Saturday will be an update day, so if nothing is going on this weekend (for reasons that have to do with the day I was born) I will try and have an update for you. In the meantime, I hope you'll tell me what you think!**

**Love,**

**Holly, 1/20/2015_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shout-outs: obh614, KitKat1995, RayOfTheDawn, JuniorLibrarian, VampirePrincess, maxiefae, and kaminariinzuma**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**.**

**Chapter 3**

Jake let her into the apartment and immediately went to the fridge to find something to drink. He wasn't surprised to see that she didn't have any sort of alcohol among the assorted coffee drinks, sparkling water and sodas. He grabbed a bottle of plain water and guzzled it down while she watched him with her arms crossed.

"What?" He asked self-consciously as he screwed the cap back on the empty bottle and chucked it into the sink.

"There's something you're not telling me," Cassandra answered.

"That's because there's nothin' to tell. . ." Jake replied, trailing off. "Maybe."

"There _has _to be something going on though!" Cassandra said.

"I might just be losin' my mind," Jake quipped, more to himself than to Cassandra.

"_Or?" _Cassandra pressed.

"Do you believe in ghosts Cassie?" Jake asked.

Cassandra frowned. "Why? Am I dead?"

Jake rubbed his hand across his face, already exhausted and it wasn't even noon yet. "No, I don't think you're _dead_. At least, nobody you know has told me that you're dead. No, you're just in a coma."

Her frown deepened and he could almost see the wheels in her head going 'round and 'round as she tried to process the new information. "But _how_ am I here? I mean if I'm in a coma. . ."

"Good question. I wish I knew," Jake answered.

Cassandra's face suddenly lit up. "Oh I know who you could talk to about this!"

"You do?"

"_Jenkins_! He knows everything there is to know about the strange and supernatural. He's made it his life's study. He'll definitely be able to answer any questions you might have!"

"And where would I find him?"

"At the local library, _of course_!" Cassandra replied, rolling her eyes a little bit but smiling in spite of herself. "Come on! I'll take you there if you'd like."

The truth was Jake did want to know what was happening to him. Even if he was going to find out that there really was such a thing as ghosts. It was decidedly better than the alternative of finding out that he was actually losing his mind.

**.**

The library was almost empty, aside from an odd patron or two of the female variety browsing the new releases. An older gentleman was sitting behind the checkout desk and watching them disapprovingly.

"That's Jenkins," Cassandra told Jake, nodding in his direction.

"He doesn't look too happy, maybe I shouldn't bother him."

Cassandra waved her hand in the air and laughed a little bit. "Oh, he _always _looks like that! Especially when somebody is choosing Nora Roberts over Jane Austen. Or whatever writer is popular these days. Go on, he doesn't bite! It's his _bark _that you have to worry about!"

Jake went over to him reluctantly and cleared his throat.

Jenkins sighed and looked at him. "May I help you sir?"

"Um. . ." Jake trailed off and glanced at Cassandra.

"The music is at the back of the library," Jenkins answered. "But I'm afraid we have a very scant collection of country music."

"Actually, I have a question for you. . ." Jake replied, glancing at Cassandra again, who was nodding at him encouragingly. He cleared his throat. "Rumor has it you're a local expert on all things supernatural."

"I may have studied it a little bit," Jenkins admitted, looking rather proud of himself. "What is that you would like to know?"

"Um. . ." Jake floundered a little bit, looking for the best possible way to broach the subject. "Do you believe people in comas can visit you?"

Jenkins raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean like a ghost would haunt somebody after they had _died_?"

Jake nodded. "Something like that."

Jenkins shrugged. "Nothing is _im_possible. But the person in the coma is most certainly not a ghost. In fact, I don't think there is a logical explanation for what they are exactly. Maybe they have some unfinished business before they can move on to the afterlife."

"But isn't that the same thing as a ghost?" Jake asked, frowning.

"Except she's not dead," Jenkins answered.

"And I thought you were supposed to be some sort of expert," Jake muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothin'," Jake replied. "It looks like you don't have what I'm lookin' for. Thank you for your time, now if you would excuse me, I won't waste any more of your time."

"You can see her, can't you?" Jenkins asked.

Jake stopped short and turned back around to look at him. "See who?"

"Cassandra Cillian," Jenkins answered. "You can see her; you wouldn't be asking if it's possible to see people in comas if you couldn't."

"Unless it's all in my head," Jake said.

"And why would it all be in your head?" Jenkins replied. "Do you not believe in ghosts, Mr. . .?"

"Stone," Jake supplied.

"Do you _not_ believe in ghosts, Mr. Stone?" Jenkins asked.

"I don't know," Jake replied. "Maybe. I don't think I'd be here if I didn't think they existed in the back of my mind."

Jenkins nodded. "Well, you need to figure out why _you _and only you can see her. Especially since you've never met her before."

"And once I figure it out?"

Jenkins shrugged. "I can't say for sure. Maybe she'll die; maybe she'll finally wake up. Nobody can really tell until it happens. Now if you'd excuse me, I have actual patrons to attend to. But if you need anything else, you are than welcome to come back after hours and I'll be more than happy to discuss things with you."

Jake exhaled. "Okay, thanks."

"Goodbye Mr. Stone," Jenkins said.

**.**

"So, I guess we have to figure out while I'm still here," Cassandra said.

"Or why you're _here_," Jake answered. "Medically speaking, you can still be alive with monitors and breathing machines. But why are you _here_ talkin' with _me_ instead of Eve or somebody else you know personally. That's what we need to figure out."

"Okay. How do we do _that_?" Cassandra asked.

"I don't know," Jake replied. "We'll figure it out together though, I promise."

"What happens when we figure it out?" she asked in a tiny voice. "What if I die after I realize what my unfinished business is?"

Jake was quiet because he honestly didn't know what to tell her. He guessed he was going to have to think about it for a while before he could answer her.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**Look at that, I updated! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll tell me what you think! I'm looking forward to hearing from you.**

**Love,**

**Holly, 1/24/2015_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shout-outs: Tacodestroyeravenger, Chymom, Beth-TauriChick, KitKat1995, RayofDawn and maxiefae**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**.**

**Chapter 4**

"I'm sure I never saw you before when I wasn't like however it is that I am. So, what are you doing here in a small town that isn't even on the map?" Cassandra asked.

"I needed to get away," Jake answered without offering her any of the details to what had happened.

"Oh," was all Cassandra said, she looked curious but she didn't press him for any more information even though he knew she was tempted to. There was a pause and then she looked at him with serious eyes. "Well, if you ever want to tell me what happened, I will be _more _than happy to listen to you talk."

Jake smiled a little bit inspite of himself. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Cassandra replied, settling down on the couch and folding her hands on her lap. "So, now what?"

"I dunno know," Jake said, shrugging slightly. "I guess I'll do some readin' or somethin' like that. Maybe I'll go and make a beer run, since you don't have anything to drink in the apartment like _that_."

"Drinking is always better when it's done socially," Cassandra told him primly.

"Now why on earth would you think _that_?" Jake asked, looking slightly dumbfounded. "You know what, never mind! I don't even want to know how you came to _that _conclusion."

She smiled at him. "You shouldn't drink because you're feeling bad, alcohol doesn't solve anything, you know."

"What are you? A _freakin' _public service message?" Jake asked. "I'll tell you somethin', one of the reasons I came to this town that isn't even on a map was to escape constantly talkin' about how I'm feelin'! Talkin' about it doesn't help that much either!"

"I know," Cassandra whispered so quietly, he didn't even hear her.

Jake sighed. "I can't even believe I'm talkin' to you about _that_. I don't know you; you're in a coma for cryin' out loud."

Cassandra's frown was quickly replaced with a smile. "Maybe that's exactly why you're talking to me. I don't know anything about you or your life story or even your circumstances. I'm not constantly going to ask how you're doing and one day, if I wake up, I might not even remember we talked or knew each other. But you need to talk to somebody. I find whenever you're going through a difficult time; it's good to have friends."

"And have you ever gone through a difficult time?" Jake asked.

She shrugged. "Hasn't everybody gone through something difficult at some point in their lives?" was all she offered.

Jake thought about Mabel, about her family, about people he knew in Oklahoma and the people they had lost, or trials they had faced and realized that she was right.

"Yes," he said.

"I bet you were there for the people in your life when they needed someone," Cassandra said. "Why won't you let them return the favor? I am sure they wanted to."

Jake had no good answer for her. He had never thought about anybody else when he had packed up and left his life behind for a while. His promise to Mabel before she had died was tucked away in his mind. He wasn't meeting new people, he wasn't showing them parts of himself that he'd only let her see, and he definitely wasn't going places like Paris.

He shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Cassandra asked.

Jake realized that she thought his shaking his head was in response to her question, not trying to clear his head of his thoughts. "I didn't really think about it before leaving," he admitted.

"Oh."

"All I thought about was myself," Jake told her.

"You don't have to tell me anything!" Cassandra rushed to tell him. "It really isn't any of my business. I shouldn't have said anything about it in the first place. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be!" Jake interjected. "You didn't say anything to offend me, honestly Cassie."

Cassandra still looked uncertain, but didn't press the issue any further, she felt like she had already done that enough for the day. She sighed. "Okay, if you're sure then."

Jake nodded and grasped at straws to change the subject because it was now officially uncomfortable for the both of them. "What did you do before the coma?"

Cassandra's frown deepened. "Now that I think about it, I can't quite remember. It had to be something more than hanging out with Eve and listening to Taylor Swift though. Right?"

"Probably," Jake answered, not pointing out that she probably didn't just listen to Taylor Swift if the Sharon Isbin and _Porgy & Bess_ albums mixed in with the rest of her music that was distinctly _not _Taylor Swift.

"I mean, that would be a boring kind of life to lead. . ." Cassandra trailed off and looked around her apartment, suddenly desperate for some answers.

"I saw some complicated math books in your guest room," Jake said. "Maybe you were a brilliant mathematician or the youngest professor at some Ivy League college."

"Maybe," Cassandra answered, still looking troubled and doubtful.

"I'll find out what you did with yourself when I talk to Eve about what happened to you," Jake promised.

Cassandra looked a little relieved. "Thank you," she said.

"Of course," Jake answered. "It isn't like _I _have anything better to do with my time than chase down the story of ghosts."

"Hey!" Cassandra said looking slightly offended.

"I mean chasin' down. . ." Jake trailed off. "Oh _never mind_!"

Suddenly, Cassandra was all smiles again. "Okay!"

"I think I'll just put some music on now," Jake said, going over to her stacks and stacks of albums, looking for something that would shut them both up for a while. He found a copy of _Rusallka_, an opera he had secretly loved in high school and put it in the CD player.

He turned around and saw Cassandra smiling, her eyes closed as the familiar music filled the room. "You like _Rusallka_?" She asked.

"Yes," Jake answered, realizing his pulse had sped up slightly as he answered her. This was one of the things Mable had asked him to do, share the parts of himself she had found beautiful with other people. He cleared his throat. "Do you have a favorite part?"

"_For your love, for that beauty of yours, for your inconstant human passion, for everything by which my fate is cursed, human soul, God have mercy on you! You're lost completely!" _Cassandra recited.

"The closing lines," Jake said. "Where Rusallka thanks the prince for showing her human love and commends his soul to God before returning to her place in the lake as a demon of death."

"Yes," Cassandra answered. "What about you?"

"I'm partial to the beginning, where she first falls in love with the prince and tells her father that she wants to become human," Jake replied. "There is hardly anything better than being in the throes of new love."

"I guess you're right," Cassandra conceded.

Jake sat down next to her. "Shhh. Just listen," he said.

And they did.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter almost didn't get written because we had a death in the family and my mind has been all over the place. When it finally started to get written, I barely had enough words to post it. So, I added stuff about the opera. I am of the impression that Jake would be a closeted opera fan. I hope you enjoyed it despite my little sprinkling of pretentiousness. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts! More next Saturday, I promise.**

**Love,**

**Holly, 1/31/2015_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shout-Outs: Beth-TauriChick, RayOfTheDawn, Tacodestroyeravenger, and Chymom for their reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Rated: T**

**.**

**Chapter 5**

A few days later, Jake met with Eve and her fiance, Flynn Rider. They invited him over their house for dinner, they made small talk over pizza and beer while Cassandra chatted in his ear the whole time, pestering him to find out what had happened to her. He did his best to ignore her while Flynn told him about his work.

It wasn't until she had served dessert that Eve finally told him the information he and Cassandra were so desperately seeking.

"She had a car accident," she told him as she scooped generous portions of vanilla ice cream and drizzled hot fudge over it. "It was a rainy night, they still don't know what she was doing. She might have been changing CDs or she just might not have been paying attention. Cassandra was a dreamer."

"I am _not_!" Cassandra said, crossing her arms across her chest. Jake gave her a look that silenced her right away.

"Or maybe the other driver wasn't paying attention," Eve continued. "He was a trucker, he said he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and he wasn't paying attention. Either way, she was in a car accident. Except the other driver got away with a _concussion_. He's home now, I don't even know if he's thought twice about what he did!"

"I'm sure he has Eve," Flynn interjected. "You don't go through an experience like that and not walk away with some sort of trauma. He'll probably spend the rest of his life wondering whether or not he killed Cassandra."

"But she's still alive," Jake said. "Right?"

"For now," Eve answered. "But she hasn't woken up and it's been a few months since the accident."

"What are you going to do?" Jake asked.

"The doctors are telling us that we might have to take her off of life support," Flynn replied, covering Eve's hand with his.

"What about her family? Don't _they _get a say in whether she lives or dies?"

Eve shook her head. "No, Cassandra doesn't have any family. When she was a teenager, she started to have seizures and it changed the person they wanted her to be. She wasn't the brilliant girl who could win the Nobel Peace Prize anymore, she was damaged. So, after she graduated from high school, she came here. We're her family, Jake."

"Tell them that I'm still here!" Cassandra said. "They can't pull the plug yet, I'm alive!"

"How long do you have until you make a decision about whether or not you should pull the plug?" Jake asked, cringing slightly at his own use of terminology.

"They're pushing us to make a decision soon," Eve answered.

"Come on Eve!" Cassandra said, reaching out to her. "Don't do something you'll regret."

"Maybe you should give her a little bit more time," Jake said quickly. "Maybe somethin' could happen, a miracle. . ."

"We'll need a miracle," Eve replied. "You haven't been at the hospital every day, Jake. She's not getting any better, her vitals aren't changing. . . her brain activity is still the same. I don't want to spend the next few years wishing everything will be okay when everything in medical science is against her."

"Tell them that I'm here!" Cassandra pleaded.

Jake shook his head. "Can't you give her a little more time? Maybe she's fightin' to wake up right now and you just don't know it because she can't talk to you."

"It's sweet, you trying to protect her like this," Eve said. "But I think this is what she would want, to go easily and without being a bother to anybody longer than she has to be."

Cassandra faltered beside him. "Jake. . ."

"I lost somebody!" Jake said quickly. "And I would do anything just to have _one _more day with her. One more conversation. . . you might have that and you're throwin' it away by taking her off of life support."

"I'm sorry Jake but I think it's time just end it all. I'm sorry that you never got a chance to know her, I think you two would have liked each other," Eve said.

**.**

"You can't let her pull me off life support!" Cassandra said as they drove back to her apartment after dinner was over. "I'm not meant to die, Jake! I just know it! You have to do something to stop it. . . _please_!"

"Do you think your friend Jenkins will know what to do?" Jake asked.

"Maybe. . . I don't know," Cassandra answered. "He can't change somebody's mind once it's made up."

"But if she _knew _that you're still here, maybe it would change things."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Cassandra asked. "Were you afraid she wouldn't believe you?"

"I-I-I don't know," Jake replied, sighing. "Maybe I _was _a little bit afraid that she wouldn't believe me. Or maybe she'd think I was crazy if I told her that I was talkin' to you."

Cassandra huffed. "I understand."

Jake got the distinct feeling that she _didn't_ want to understand and that she was agitated with him for not saying anything to Eve when he had the chance to. He wasn't sorry for not saying anything, he knew if anyone else, including the vulnerable Cassandra, was in his position they wouldn't say anything either.

"Listen Cassie, I'm _goin' _to find a way to save your life. I _promise_!"

"_How?" _Cassandra asked, turning worried filled eyes on him.

"I'll think of something!" Jake said, feeling a bit desperate.

"Jake. . . earlier tonight you said you had lost somebody. . ." Cassandra hedged. "Was she special?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jake answered. _"Please."_

"Okay," Cassandra replied, dropping the subject and looking out of the window.

"Do you remember _anythin' _about that night?" Jake asked. "I mean now that you've talked to Eve, can you recall any details?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No. I remember _nothing_ about that night. . . except that it was raining, like it is tonight. I don't know if I was changing the CD or daydreaming like Eve said I was. I don't remember getting hit by the truck. The next thing I really remember is being in my apartment and finding _you_."

"Okay, okay. Do you remember anythin' about that day _at all_?"

Cassandra scrunched up her face and shook her head. "I can't even remember what I ate for lunch that day, Jake. And the more I think about it, I'm not even sure if I remember if it was raining or not. Maybe I'm just repeating it because I heard _Eve _say it."

"Well, maybe it isn't that important," Jake conceded. "But I'm still going to help you. I promise Cassandra, I am not going to let you die. Not without a fighting chance anyways."

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**I am sorry for the delay in writing and posting this chapter. Life got **_**completely**_** crazy, as you know my grandmother died and then we had to plan a memorial service. Two days after that, my youngest sister had surgery and my mom started to redecorate the downstairs of the house. I won't even write the other thing that distracted me (if you follow me on Twitter or tumblr, you KNOW!) **

**Please forgive me for not posting, I will try to update regularly again. Sorry for the brevity of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Until Next Time!**

**Love,**

**Holly, 2/20/2015_**


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